Cowboys DE DeMarcus Lawrence on why David Irving won't make it as a model

This Story is About...

Share This Story On...

Dallas Cowboys defensive end Tyrone Crawford (98, left) gets a hand on the ball to block a Washington Redskins field goal attempt -- with the help of defensive tackle David Irving (95) and defensive end Demarcus Lawrence (90) -- during the second quarter of an NFL game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins on Sunday, October 29, 2017 at FedEx Field in Hyattsville, Maryland. (Ashley Landis/The Dallas Morning News)

Dallas Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence recently joined 103.3 FM ESPN's "J Dub City" with Jean-Jacques Taylor and Will Chambers to talk about the franchise tag, David Irving and more. Here are some highlights from their interview.

===

Jean-Jacques Taylor: Tank, we've been talking all year, and all year you've been talking about, 'Yeah, I kind of expect to be franchised. Not a big deal.' Some cats don't like it. How come it hasn't bothered you?

DeMarcus Lawrence: Man, you know, sometimes you gotta embrace things, things that you can't really control. At the end of the day it's a gift and a curse.

You got the gift: If you go and ball out you get a bigger long-term deal than what you were expecting the first time. The curse is you go out and get hurt or you don't put up the numbers you expect or whatever. And now you got to deal with less money.

That's why I embrace it. It's another opportunity to go out there and get better.

Will Chambers: Do you guys give him any stuff for that? When that came out, the Twitter post, did you guys say anything to him about it?

DeMarcus Lawrence: Nah, I didn't see it. What happened?

Will Chambers: He posed, it was like a picture of him just covering up...

Jean-Jacques Taylor: His junk.

Will Chambers: ...the spot that needed to be covered up and then that's it.

DeMarcus Lawrence: Oh brooooo. That picture. Ah man. He want to be a movie star one day, a model. I don't know what the hell he want to be. He's too tall to be a model to me and a movie star. Just leave it bro. Just stick to the field, you know?

===

Will Chambers: DeMarcus, we know you play for the love of the game and all that stuff that goes along with it. But you also know with a good amount of talent you're gonna be able to make a lot of money that can help set you up for the rest of your life. Knowing the season that you had and that this was a possibility, how did it feel when you first heard and you knew that it was $17 million?

DeMarcus Lawrence: It's a blessing. I really can't take it in right now, you now, because I ain't got no check in front of me. You see the numbers online and stuff and you're like, 'Man. That's a lot of money.' I don't see the money in front of me so I don't pay no attention to it. Just keep working.

===

Jean-Jacques Taylor: Last year [was] your first double digit sack season. What was the difference for you in terms of it all coming together for you?

DeMarcus Lawrence: The main thing was my health. I was healthy for a whole 16 games. I was just able to go out and show what I really can do.

===

Jean-Jacques Taylor: When you look at the Cowboys and they say, 'Hey, we want to see you do it one more year. We believe in you, [but] we just want to see it one more year.' What's your reaction to that?

DeMarcus Lawrence: The Cowboys know what it is with me. I'ma show out every year as long as I'm healthy. As long as I got my two feet up under me I'ma go out and play with the passion I play with every time and go and show the world what I'm about.

===

Will Chambers: Tank, I'm curious because [in] a lot of the buildup for this we've discussed knowing that your agent, David Canter, is the same agent Olivier Vernon, who signed a long-term deal with the New York Giants just a couple of years ago and that might be the basement right there.

What were the discussions like between you and David? Did you ever discuss Olivier Vernon's contract or him at all during this process?

DeMarcus Lawrence: No. I mean, me and Olivier are two different guys. My numbers are way different from Olivier's so ain't no need for him [his agent] to try to sit here and match my numbers up with Olivier's.

Will Chambers: So there wasn't anything that was like you were, I don't want to say worried, but you definitely want to be taken care of in the same manner with your agent as he does with another player, right?

DeMarcus Lawrence: Oh yeah. That's my guy. I know he['s going] to take care of me. Shoot. I did the work on the field so the only thing he gotta do is calculate [and] send it to the Joneses. I mean, I'm making his job easy. Just putting in the work and he has the rest.